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Matt Snell, who currently lives in New Rochelle, turns 75 on Thursday.

Snell, a retired professional football player who played for the New York Jets and was on the team that won Super Bowl III in 1969, was born Aug. 18, 1941, in Garfield, Ga.

Snell attended Carle Place High School in the one-square mile town of Carle Place, N.Y., on Long Island, His picture is in the Carle Place High School Athletic Hall of Fame. At Carle Place he played right halfback on a team that only lost two games while he started. He was awarded Newsday's 1959 Thorp Award, awarded annually to the outstanding high school football player in Nassau County as a running back.

At Ohio State University, Snell was a three-year starter. In 1961 he was a right halfback. In 1962 he was moved to defensive end. In 1963, his senior year, he was named starting fullback, making him the featured running back in the Ohio State offense. At the end of his senior season, Snell was named his team's most valuable player.Snell was named to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000, as a defensive end.

In his rookie year in the National Football League, Snell rushed for a Jets record 180 yards against the Houston Oilers, on his way to a 945-yard season and AFL Rookie of the Year honors. Snell went on to become an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1964 and 1966 and the Sporting News All-AFL fullback in 1969.